Iloenyosi speaks on Eagles missing out on World Cup

Former Super Eagles defender Chikelue Iloenyosi has put the blame for Nigeria not qualifying for the 2026 FIFA World Cup on the players. He said the team must take full responsibility for this painful outcome in Nigerian football history.

The 2026 World Cup will be held in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. This edition has 10 African nations participating, the highest ever from the continent. This makes Nigeria's absence even harder to accept.

Iloenyosi, who has played for Nigeria four times and once for Al-Ittihad, said the hurt cannot be ignored. "How can I be happy? Players are feeling very, very bad, of course. If they have a chance to be in the World Cup, they will be in the World Cup to prove themselves," the 47-year-old said in an interview with the Ay Shuga Channel.

He focused his criticism on the players instead of the coaching changes that saw Nigeria work with three managers during the qualifiers.

"Why we did not qualify for the World Cup is the players. It’s the fault of the players because you can see the games; they are even blaming themselves. They are not happy," he said.

Iloenyosi also mentioned the long-term effects of this failure. He noted that some players might not have another chance to play in a World Cup due to their age.

"Some people in the national team might not see the World Cup again because of their age. I’m not happy we did not qualify for the World Cup because we’ve gotten a coach that came to stabilise the team. If you see the standard of the games we are playing now, you can know the coach wants the team to improve. Unfortunately, we did not qualify for the World Cup," he said.

The Super Eagles were in a qualifying group with South Africa, Rwanda, Zimbabwe, Lesotho, and the Republic of Benin. They could not secure one of the two automatic spots despite having one of the best squads in Africa.

This failure means stars like Victor Osimhen, Ademola Lookman, Moses Simon, and Alex Iwobi will be watching the tournament from home. Nigeria has not participated in a World Cup since the 2018 edition in Russia.

Looking forward, the Super Eagles will focus on the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers starting in September. They have been drawn in Group L with Guinea-Bissau, Madagascar, and Tanzania.